Felsberg bolsters distressed M&A practice with partner promotion

Felsberg Advogados has promoted lawyer Renato Olivério Brandão to the position of partner to strengthen the Brazilian firm’s services in distressed M&A deals. 



Brandão’s team counsels companies in distress in relation to sales of equity interests, shares and business units, strategies followed by companies seeking financial recovery. 



“In many cases, the only way out is the total or partial sale of their businesses,” according to Brandão (pictured).

Such strategies are often very different from a traditional M&A, he says. 

“The project is different right from the word go, since the investment strategy is based upon the principle of acquiring the assets, debt or capital stock of a company in a crisis situation at a low price, in the hope of making gains through the recovery of the value once the crisis has been overcome,” he says.

“Another very interesting aspect in some cases is the direct approach taken by the investor when dealing with the debt restructuring plan.”

Brandão joined Felsberg Advogados in April 2015, as part of the M&A team. A graduate of Mackenzie University, he holds an executive MBA from INSPER and a postgraduate in judicial reorganization and company mergers, acquisitions and restructuring from the Getúlio Vargas Foundation. 



He is currently representing Brazilian and international clients in cases involving mergers and acquisitions, including cross-border investments, project finance, M&A, distressed M&A, corporate operations and restructuring, joint ventures, audits, due dilligence, corporate and contractual consultation, regulation and control of Brazilian and foreign capital overseas, as well as regulation of the Brazilian Central Bank and electronic means of payment. 

The choice of Brandão as the firm’s newest partner forms part of its strategy to end 2019 with an accumulated growth of 30% in two years. 

“The intention of all this is to prepare the firm for the future, a decision that has proven to be right and which has now brought in eight new partners,” according to founding partner Thomas Felsberg.

With the addition of Brandão, the firm now has a total of 25 partners.